President Barack Obama will use a trip to Georgia Tuesday to highlight a new program designed to provide rebates to families that make energy-efficiency improvements in their homes.

Obama’s four-hour visit to Savannah, Ga., will focus on a roughly $6 billion, short-term program designed to get consumers to invest in energy-saving home repairs and upgrades – and in turn, help create tens of thousands of jobs. It’s Obama’s first trip to Georgia since he took office, but his sixteenth to a state he came within 10 points of winning in the election.

The Georgia stop incidentally comes just days after a couple of the state's notable Republican congressmen announced they will not be on the ballot this November. Rep. John Linder announced over the weekend that he will not seek re-election, followed by Rep. Nathan Deal saying Monday that he'll resign from the House next week to focus on his gubernatorial race.

While the Deal resignation could help Obama's plans for health care reform in House, the president will keep stick to the economy Tuesday.
"He will focus on jobs and visiting a couple of businesses," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Monday, "talking specifically about details for weatherization and retrofitting as part of the economic plan."
The president is scheduled to meet with local workers and small business owners, and to deliver remarks about the so-called HOMESTAR program at Savannah Technical College, where he'll tour a job training program that focuses on construction skills.

The administration expects as many as 3 million households to participate in the program, despite that many families have cut back during the economic downturn.

“We have quite a bit of evidence even in the current economic environment that this kind of incentive – that is easy for a consumer to get, that is upfront and has a time limited, get-it-while-you can-quality – is quite powerful,” a senior administration official told reporters Monday evening in an embargoed conference call in advance of Obama’s trip.

Like the popular cash-for-clunkers program, HOMESTAR will operate only for a set time frame, which has yet to be established, and homeowners would receive rebates immediately for making investments while the businesses they purchase materials from would later be reimbursed by the federal government.

The program requires action from Congress and the administration is hoping to also convince business, environmental and labor leaders to help pick up the cost, the officials said.

Obama will use his remarks at Savannah Technical College, an administration official said, "to talk a little bit in more detail about how he would see a program like this operating."

The White House already promises, however, that the program will create tens of thousands of jobs and save consumers as much as $500 a year in energy costs.

Details of the program from the White House:

• $1,000 - $1,500 Silver Star Rebates: Consumers looking to have simple upgrades performed in their homes would be eligible for 50% rebates up to $1,000 - $1,500 for doing any of a straightforward set of upgrades, including: insulation, duct sealing, water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofing and doors. Under Silver Star, consumers can chose a combination of upgrades for rebates up to a maximum of $3,000 per home. Rebates would be limited to the most energy efficient categories of upgrades—focusing on products made primarily in the United States and installed by certified contractors.

• $3000 Gold Star Rebates: Consumers interested in more comprehensive energy retrofits would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate for a whole home energy audit and subsequent retrofit tailored to achieve a 20% energy savings in their homes. Consumers could receive additional rebate amounts for energy savings in excess of 20%. Gold Star would build on existing whole home retrofit programs, like EPA’s successful Home Performance with Energy Star program.

• Oversight to Ensure Quality Installations: The program would require that contractors be certified to perform efficiency installations. Independent quality assurance providers would conduct field audits after work is completed to ensure proper installation so consumers receive energy savings from their upgrades. States would oversee the implementation of quality assurance to ensure that the program was moving the industry toward more robust standards and comprehensive energy retrofit practices.

• Support for financing: The program would include support to State and local governments to provide financing options for consumers seeking to make efficiency investments in their homes. This will help ensure that consumers can afford to make these investments.